Unforeseeable Events

Part 5 - Maddie/ The Third Floor

A cold, empty and silent darkness lay before them. Arielle pushed the others out of the way and stepped into the hallway on the third floor. She pulled a flashlight out of her pocket and tried to turn it on, but nothing happened.  "Damn! I checked the batteries before I left and they were fine. It was working then."

"Maybe it's the bulb," Alex whispered.

"Why are you whispering?" Ashley asked.

"I have no clue," he answered, still in a whisper. "I just have this creepy feeling that we should be quiet so we won't disturb whoever's here."

"There's no one here. It's the third floor. Ashley's grandma told her that nobody has lived here in over twenty years," Ashley spoke in a hushed voice, too.

I hadn't thought to bring a flashlight and I don't think anybody else had one either. If they did, they would've clicked it on by now. Arielle, Alex and Ashley stood in a row right inside the doorway and everyone else huddled behind them. A few feet in front of our group a whooshing noise swept through the air, up high near the ceiling. Then something screeched really loud. Sarah groaned as if she had just eaten a gas station burrito. 

The wordless screech rang out again and then a high pitched, inhuman voice shouted, "Get out!"

We turned and ran, down the stairs, across the second floor hallway and down to the first floor. It was a miracle no one fell because we were all pushing and tripping each other in our haste to escape the creature with the horrible voice.

When we arrived at the car, out of breath, Sarah jumped behind the wheel, turned on the headlights and started it up. "Get in! Hurry up or I'm leaving without you nerds!"

Ashley's pale face shone in the beam of the car's lights. "I dropped the key. Someone has to go back inside and I'm not going back in there alone."

"I'll come with you, Ashley," Alex volunteered.

"We should all go. Ashley will feel safer if we all have her back." Arielle suggested.

Sarah got out of the car and we all reluctantly crept toward the front door. I stepped in front of the others and said, "Stand behind me, you weenies!"

"Thanks for stepping up, Maddie. I'm petrified. Is it okay if I wait in the car?" Arielle asked.

"No, we're in this together," Arielle said. "You have to come!"

Arielle looked like she was going to cry so I said, "You can be last and Reilly will hold your hand."

They gladly moved behind me and let me lead the way. At the front door, I took a deep breath and pulled it open. 

A giant black bird swooped out of the door. He was flying so close to our heads I felt the breeze from his pumping wings as he flew by, circled around and came back to perch on my shoulder. "Sarah, help!" I screamed.

She ran over and yelled, "Hey, big black bird! What do you want from us?"

"Meet me in the graveyard behind Unity Church at midnight tomorrow. It's time for you to get to know El Trasho." His voice was half bird, half human and the pitch and tone of it set the hairs on the back of my neck on end.

His squawks filled the night air and I counted them. Six. Then he flew higher and higher into the black sky until he his shadow seemed to drift across the sliver of moon that shone down on us from 238,900 miles away.